16/11/2013Taswegian1957

Santa Claus is Coming to Town


image blue line
The Blue Line

The Hobart Christmas Pageant

Blue lines on the road mean just one thing. It’s Christmas Pageant time. Today was the day of the Hobart Christmas Pageant and it was a bright and sunny one, a pleasant change from the wet weather we’ve been having lately.

I have only seen the Hobart Pageant once or twice and compared to the famous Christmas parades around the world it is small and has rather a home-made feel to it. Nevertheless it is full of colour and participants and spectators clearly enjoyed it.

image clown doctor car
The Clown Doctors organisation
image toy train
Can’t have a Christmas parade without a train.
image vintage car
Enjoying being part of the pageant
image pipers
The Police Pipe Band

The pageant is sponsored by the local Myer department store. Local businesses, clubs and organisations made up the parade, there were not many motorised floats but there was a lot of music from brass band, pipe bands and other live music.

Image Pipers
Another of the three pipe bands.

image brass instrument

image drummer

The most colourful display of all came from the local Buddhist group who provided not only a float but a colourfully costumed group of marchers and a lion dance. The RSPCA was out if force with dogs as were the Royal Guide Dogs people and not to be outdone the Speech Pathology people brought along a couple of poodles!

image marching with flag
They proudly marched chanting “Left, Left, Left, Right, Left”
image Lion Dancers
Lion Dancers
image dogs
The RSPCA brought dogs along.
image Guide Dogs
The Guide Dogs in training enjoyed the walk.
image poodles
The “Speechies” from Speech Pathology thought they shouldn’t miss out on a walk.

Being the sentimental type the sound of the pipes and the smiles of the people made me tear up a bit. I thoroughly enjoyed the morning and it does feel as if Christmas is right around the corner.

image Polish Dancers
The Polish Dancers
image steam tractor
One of my favourites
image man and donkey
Churches also participated
image Santa's Sleigh
The jolly old gentleman arrives at last.

Santa Claus

image float
Ho Ho Ho Hobart

 

Taswegian1957

I was born in England in 1957 and lived there until our family came to Australia in 1966. I grew up in Adelaide, South Australia, where I met and married my husband David. We came together over a mutual love of trains. Both of us worked for the railways for many years, his job was with Australian National Railways, while I spent 12 years working for the STA, later TransAdelaide the Adelaide city transit system. After leaving that job I worked in hospitality until 2008. We moved to Tasmania in 2002 to live in the beautiful Huon Valley. In 2015 David became ill and passed away in October of that year. I currently co-write two blogs on WordPress.com with my sister Naomi. Our doll blog "Dolls, Dolls, Dolls", and "Our Other Blog" which is about everything else but with a focus on photographs and places in Tasmania. In November 2019 I began a new life in the house that Naomi and I intend to make our retirement home at Sisters Beach in Tasmania's northwest. My current housemates are Cindy, my 14-year-old Staffy-Lab X dog and Polly the world's most unsociable cat who is seven.

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